#FoodieFriday – Summer Pudding

Posted on 23rd August 201923rd August 2019

I’ve got a traditional Summer Pudding recipe for you this month.

Summer pud is super easy to make; you just have to start it the day before you need it, which is always a bonus when entertaining! This recipe is a very old one that I’ve used for decades and is best made with slightly stale bread if possible.

I mostly use frozen fruit as I grow and freeze my own blackcurrants and cherries, but you can use any soft fruit that is in season. I’m always very greedy when I make this and always mop up the delicious juice left around the saucepan with some of the leftover bread crusts! Cooks perks!

Ingredients

700g mixed soft fruit, picked over if fresh to remove any stalks e

100 – 175 g caster sugar

About ½ a sandwich loaf

Method

Put the fruit and sugar into a large, heavy based pan over a very gentle heat and stir carefully from time to time until the juice has run. (Tip: if using raspberries and strawberries mix them in at the end once the other fruit is cooked and you then get lovely whole pieces of fruit!) Cool and add more sugar if needed.

Slice the bread, remove the crusts and line the bottom and sides of a 900ml pudding basin, leaving no gaps. Using a slotted spoon half fill the dish with the fruit. Add a layer of sliced bread, and top up with the fruit finishing with a layer of bread. Spoon over some of the remaining juices, retaining the rest in a small jug. Fit a small plate over the top of the dish, put on a weight of some kind (a kilo hand weight that you might use in class is ideal!) and chill in the fridge overnight.

To serve, place a serving dish over the top of the basin and invert quickly. Lift off the basin and spoon the reserved juice over any white patches. Serve with double cream.